Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

This is my secret weapon for seriously fast midweek meals: My Authentic Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce. It takes minutes to make and can be stored in the fridge for weeks. It has plenty of flavour just used plain but also fantastic with extra flavourings added.

My Stir Fry Sauce is sensational used for both stir fries and stir fried noodles. This recipe is a keeper!

Restaurant Secret: you know when you go to a packed Asian restaurant or take out during lunch hour and you’re handed a plate of fresh-out-of-the-wok stir fry 5 minutes after ordering? I hate to disappoint you, but the cooks standing over the flames aren’t throwing together 10 ingredient sauce mixes for every single dish…….What they actually use are ready made sauces as a base, then add additional flavours for different dishes.

These all purpose stir fry sauces are closely guarded secrets of restaurants – you won’t uncover them simply by googling, that’s for sure! Today I’m sharing mine. I call him Charlie (as in Charlie Brown….as in “Brown Sauce”, which stir fry sauces are commonly referred to as). Perfected and tweaked over years, I’ve been loyal to Charlie for a decade (and counting).

The brilliant thing about Charlie is that you make him just by combining the ingredients in a jar, them just store him in the fridge where he’ll happily reside for weeks – months even. Then you simply heat some oil in a wok, throw in whatever proteins, vegetables and noodles you want, then throw Charlie in with some water and he’ll magically transform into a thick, glossy sauce that lusciously coats your stir fry. He’s great plain, but so versatile too – add heat, herbs, fruity sweetness or some tang. I’ve provided some of my favourite variations in the recipe below.

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Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

Prep Time

2mins

Total Time

2mins

My secret weapon for mid week meals - an All Purposes Chinese Stir Fry Sauce, a versatile base that makes a wonderfully glossy sauce for any stir fry, including stir fried noodles. Store it in the fridge in a jar for when you need it - just make sure to leave sufficient headroom in the jar so you can give it a good shake before using. This makes 1 1/2 cups of sauce which is enough for around 12 servings.

1 - 2tspground white pepper(I sometimes use 1 tbsp, I like the spiciness!)

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Store in fridge and shake before use.

Amount to Use (Note 6):

Stir Fry: I use 3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce + 6 tbsp water to make a stir frying for 2 people using around 5 cups of uncooked ingredients (proteins + vegetables).

Noodles: I use 3 tbsp of the Stir Fry sauce + 5 - 6 tbsp water to make a noodle stir fry for 2 people using around 7 cups of the combined stir fry uncooked (vegetables - packed, proteins + noodles - if using).

Add your choice of Base Flavourings - fry for 10 seconds or so to infuse oil.

Add stir fry ingredients in order of time to cook (starting with ingredients that take longest to cook), leaving leafy greens, like the leaves of bok choy, until when you add the sauce (otherwise they will wilt and overcook).

Gently toss to combine and to let the sauce cook for around 1 minute. The sauce will become a thick, glossy sauce that coats your stir fry.

Serve immediately.

Base Flavourings

Garlic, minced or finely sliced

Ginger, minced or finely sliced

Fresh chillies, minced or finely sliced

Additional Flavouring Suggestions

Sriracha, Chilli Bean Paste or other Spicy addition

Sweet chilli sauce

Substitute the water with pineapple or orange juice

Rice vinegar - for a touch of tartness

Fresh cilantro / coriander leaves, or thai basil - for freshness

Garlic or ordinary chives, chopped

Pinch of Chinese five spice powder

Recipe Notes

1. Light soy sauce is lighter in colour that the more common dark soy sauce, but it is actually saltier. The main reason for using light soy sauce in this recipe is so the colour is not as dark. So if you do not have light soy sauce, you can substitute it with normal soy sauce, but the sauce will be darker than it should be, and slightly less salty (but not very noticeable).

I use Lee Kum Kee brand for the light soy sauce and Kikkoman for the ordinary soy sauce. If you don't have all purpose soy sauce, just use more light soy sauce, and same if you don't have light soy sauce i.e. just use more all purpose.

2. If using dried rather than fresh noodles, add a few extra tablespoons of water. The reason for this is that dried noodles, even after cooking them (usually just by covering them in hot water in a bowl), absorb more liquids than fresh noodles. So you need more liquid to have a saucier finish.

3. To make this sauce vegan, substitute the oyster sauce with hoisin sauce. This gives the sauce a slight Chinese Five Spice Powder flavour which is thoroughly authentic!

4. This will last for weeks and weeks, depending on the expiry date of the ingredients you use. There is nothing in this that will go "off", so just check the expiry date of the ingredients you use in this, at use that as a guide. I usually use mine in about 4 weeks, but it will definitely last longer.

If you have it in the fridge for ages untouched, then you will need a butter knife or something to mix up the cornstarch that will settle and harden in the bottom of the jar.

5. Chinese Cooking Wine substitute - the cooking wine plays an important part in giving this sauce an extra depth of flavour that elevates it from "just a sauce" to a "real Chinese" sauce. However, for those who cannot have alcohol (and please remember, the alcohol cooks out in the stir fry so there is zero alcohol in the finished dish!), apple juice or grape juice is the best substitute. Otherwise, chicken broth/stock, as a second fall back, with 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp sugar.

IMPORTANT: If you sub the wine, then the shelf life of the sauce will be determined by the shelf life of what you use as the sub.

6. These quantities make stir fries that are nicely coated with sauce, but without pools of sauce. The stir fry is saucier than the noodles, so it soaks into the rice. With the noodles, the sauce clings to it really well so you don't need pools of sauce. If you want more sauce, increase the amount of Stir Fry Sauce used with double the amount of water e.g. If you add 1 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce, add 2 tbsp water.

7. Chinese wine is a key ingredient in this. Best next substitute is dry sherry, and after that Japanese cooking sake. If you are unable to consume alcohol, then leave it out and just use water instead. (Chicken broth would be a good sub but the shelf life is too short)

OMG this was so delicious! I found the recipe yesterday and made a stir fry with chicken, vegetables and lo mein type noodles. Starting with your sauce, using garlic as the base and adding sriracha, sweet chili sauce, five spice powder, rice vinegar and cilantro made the most amazing stir fry I have ever made. My husband had thirds!!! We were happy to have enough leftovers to have more for lunch today. You have a new pair of fans!

This looks like a total mid week dinner game changer. I may be disproportionately excited about this! Cant tell you how every time i stir fry my kitchen looks like a bomb site no matter how much i prepare. As a result i tend not to stir fry as often as id like.

Delicious, thank you Nagi! I had to go to the local Asian Market to get the Chinese Wine and some nice man working at the store helped me find it. I live in San Diego and there is a large population of Asians here so we have many markets to choose from. I first just tried “Charlie” on a variety of veggies and it was fantastic!

Charlie sounds great. I have two questions, though. My wife is severely allergic to fish and seafood. Would Hoisin sauce be ok for her. Secondly she does not really like the taste of anise – is there an alternative?

All of that said, great website. Well done, keep going, and stay safe.

Hello, I used a combination balsamic syrup and worchesrershire sauce, soy and chili powder to sub the oyster sauce. The goal was to simulate a little meatiness in the sauce. Having bought and used the oyster sauce tonight, I can say it was a good sub. You can also just leave it out entirely. It will still be tasty, believe it!

Hi there! I’m excited to try this, but need some guidance on the Chinese wine. There is a great Asian grocery store in my neighborhood, but of course there’s lots of wine and I don’t know what I’m looking for! Is there a brand or a type you can recommend?

At my local Vietnamese market I found a vegetarian sauce to substitute for fish sauce using pineapple. It is spicy but works very well. The name is Nuoc Mam Chay Pha San ( contains pineapple sauce, sugar, chili, vinegar, salt and water). I have been very pleased with the results in recipes.

Your sauce is perfection. I have done a lot of stir fries. Over the years I have used all these ingredients in varying combinations and proportions. But your recipe is the best that I have found. I used the brands of soy sauce mentioned in your notes. My only adjustment was that I added a half tablespoon more sugar as I like everything a bit sweeter. I made a simple stir fry of pork loin which is cheap and plentiful here in the Midwest. For vegetables I used a sweet Vidalia onion and some capsicum. Topped with some red pepper flake. SO SIMPLE. SO GOOD. Love your site. Your use of language to explain techniques is as good as I have found on any cooking site. I am going to try your slow cooker marinara sauce. It looks like another winner to me.

I stumbled across your website a few weeks ago and have been so excited to try out Charlie. Needless to say, he did not disappoint. This sauce is wonderful and so are your other recipes! Thank you for this magical site, I can’t wait to cook my way through it.

Hi Nagi.
This is the best, most helpful article I’ve seen about Chinese food in awhile. You’ve got a new fan!
Quick question, where I am I can’t get Chinese wine or Sherry, can I switch it for normal red or white wine? And can I use paprika or black pepper to substitute white pepper?
Thanks Nagi!!